It is oriented to the east and west to take advantage of the northern solar aspect.

Due to the project’s tight turnaround time, RUFproject decided to forgo incorporating more complicated green strategies and instead focused on more basic principles, like sun shading, natural ventilation, and reduced energy loads. The rectangular, three-story building is constructed out of steel and features a double-walled air cavity covered with locally-sourced sandstone that acts as a rain screen. It is oriented to the east and west to take advantage of the northern solar aspect.

A locally-sourced South African timber louver structure suspended from the steel acts as a sun screen on the east, north and west facades, protecting the building from solar heat gain. The building is cantilevered over the edges of the two main fields, creating a shady area that keeps the the gym, kitchen and trial areas cool.

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2 Comments

rufprojectJanuary 20, 2011 at 10:33 pm

A large number of local firms were involved in the project, we worked very closely with SIP Project Management, MMA architects, AKI engineering and Spoormaker & Partners who put in a massive amount of effort to ensure the project was a success. The construction company was Rainbow Construction, and the graphic production company was Grid Worldwide.

Design and creative by RUFproject and Nike Global Football Brand Design, with the exception of three commissioned artworks by Kronk.

Hope this helps….

RUFproject

CorliJanuary 18, 2011 at 3:20 am

Is the centre named “Soweta”, because the area where it is located is called Soweto, which stands for South-Western-Townships.

PS: why weren’t South African architects involved in this project? We are also at the forefront of sustainable design, but our industry is in a slump due to the recession and lack of international interest.